Railway-rail joint



, 1930. w. A. EVERS 1,766,888

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT Filed June 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 June 24 vwenlz Mai. Eve rs Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED; STATES WILLIAM A. EVERS, OI MARTIN'SBURG, WEST VIRGINIA RAILWAY-RAIL 101m:

Application filed J' une 4, 1929. Serial no. 368,284.

This invention relates to rail joints, and has for one of its objects to provide a novel device of this character which shall be adapted to hold the ends of the rails against any relative vertical or horizontal movements, and which shall be adapted to bridge the space between the ends of the heads ofthe rails, whereby to provide the rails with asubstantially continuous tread surface and thus 0 avoid all jars incident to the passage of the "wheels of a car over the joint and to prevent the wheels from bruising the ends of the heads of the rails.

To attain the foregoing and other. objects, the nature of which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprehends the provision of a rail joint embodying an inner joint plate having horizontal upper and lower edges contacting with similar surfaces on the bases and heads of the rails, a tread member carried by the joint plate and fitting in recesses formed in the ends of the rail heads, and an outer joint plate having inclined upper and lower edges con- 5 tacting with similar surfaces on the rail'bases and heads. h

The invention is hereinaftenmore fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a topplan'view of a rail joint constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the rail joint;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the vertical plane indicated by the line 33 of Figurel; V f1 Figure 4 is an elevationalview of a fragmentary portion of the tread member} I a Figure 5 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of the tread member; 1 I Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the vertical plane indicated by the line 6- 6 of Figure 5; w v Figure 7 is a top plan view of a further modified form of the tread member; and

Figure 8 is a view partlyin elevation and partly in vertical section of the inner joint plate and tread member shown in Figure 7.

. Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 desigthe inner jointplate and nates the bases, 2 the webs, and 3 the heads of a pair of railway rails. In accordance with my invention, the inner base flanges of the rails are provided at their upper sides with horizontal seats 4, the corner portions of the inner side portions of the heads are rout away to provide recesses 5 and the under surfaces of these side portions of the heads are formed to providehorizontal seats 6. The depth of the recesses 5 is less than the width of the inner side portions of the heads 3 so as to permit the horizontal seats 6 to extend along the heads from points coincident with the ends of the webs 2. In all other respects-the rails are of well known construction.

An inner joint plate 7 and an outer joint plate 8 are secured in place by bolts 9. The inner joint plate 7 has horizontal upper and lower edges which contact with the lower rail .seats 4 andthe upper rail seats 6, the rail seats and the inner joint plate being similar as to length. The inner joint plate 7 is provided with a tread member 10 which is formed integrally with the upper edge thereof and which fits in the recesses .5 with its upper edge inalinement with the upper or tread surfaces of the rails.

The tread member 10 is similar in contour to therecesses 5, the inclined verticaledges thereof are spaced slightly from the inclinedend walls of the recesses, and'the inner verticalis ide thereof contacts with the longitudinal walls o fthe recesses. The outer plate 8 has inclined upperand lower edges which contact respectivel with the inclined upper sides of the outer anges'ofthe bases 1 and with the inclined lower outer-sides of the heads 3,

Due to the contact between the horizontal edges of the inner joint plate 7 and the horizontal seats 4 and 6 ofthe rails,and due to thecontact between the inclined edges of the outer oint plate 8 and thein'clinedportions of the rails, v the rails are positively held against any vertical or horizontal movements,

with the resultthat the tread surfaces of the rails are maintained in alinement. The tread member 10 of the inner joint plate 7 has its upper edge arranged in the plane of the tread surfaces of the rails and carries the wheels over the meeting ends of the heads 3 in a manner to avoid all jars and the bruising of the ends of the heads. The formation of the contacting surfaces of the joint plates 7 and 8 and the bases 1 and heads 3 are such that when the joint plates are drawn into place through the medium of the bolts 9, the tread surfaces of the heads and member 1 will be alined.

The central portion of the inner joint plate 7 is solid throughout soas to provide a strong and rigid support for the heads 3 of the rails immediately adjacent their meeting ends;

As shown in Figures and h, the tread member, which is here. designated 10*, is re-' movably engaged with the inner joint plate 7. A recess 11 is formed in the inner joint plate 7 for the reception of the lower portion of the tread member 10 and the tread member is secured to the joint plate by bolts 12. The upper and lower edges of the tread member 1'0 are formed so as to permit the tread member to be reversed when the edge use becomes worn. When both edges of the tread member 1O becomes worn, this member may be removed and a new one substituted therefor, or if desired a new one may be substituted therefor when one of its edges becomes worn. The tread member 10 is provided' with parallel rows of epenings, the row of openings 13 receiving the bolts 12 when one edge of the tread member is in a position for use and the row of openings 14 {receiving the bolts when the other edge of the tread meniloer is in position'for rise. The rec'ess -11 terminates short of the lower edge of the joint plate 7*, and the lower edge of the tread member 10 rests npo-n the bottom wall of the recess-Q The inner side of the upper port-ion of the tread member 10" is s' pac'ed inwardly from the corresponding side of the joint plate 7 to provide'the j oint plate with a continuous' upper edge for supa parting the rail heads.

The tread member 10 ,.-'shown in Figures 7 r and 8, is removably connected to the inner jbint plate 7- so as to permit it to be r newed when its upper edge becomes worn. Bolts 15 secure this tread member in place. The inner side of the upper portion of the tread member -10 is spaced inwardly from the corresponding side of the joint plate 7, and said member is provided withfa thickened lower portion 16 which providesa shoulder 17 which extends inwardly'fr'om said side of the tread member and 'alines with the upper edge of the joint plate 7 to provide the joint plate with a continuous upper edge for supportthe rail heads. To adapt it for the -reception of the tread member 10 the inner joint plate 7 is provided with a recess 1'8,

which opensont "thron'gh its upper edgeand inner side. w j I From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the 'ac'co'mp'anying drawings, it will be understood that the joint provi des mass for the most efficient and the strongest connection of the rail ends, that the tread members provide the rails with a substantially continuous tread surface, that in one form of the invention the tread member may be reversed or renewed, and that in another form of the invention the tread member may be renewed and provides a substantial support for the heads of the rails.

As the tread members in certain forms of the invention may be renewed, the joint may be maintained in a high state of efliciency at comparatively low cost.

VVhil'e I have described the principle of the invention together with the structure which I now consider the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that the structure shewn is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

1. A joint plate provided with a recess opening on't through the upper edge thereof,

a tread member having its'lower portion ar ranged in the recess, the upper and lower edges of the tread member being similar, and means detachably securing'the tread member to the joint plate.

- 2. In combination, a pair of rails provided at'thei'r inner sides with horizontal base and head seats and provided at their outer sides with in'rllined base and head seats, the corners of the inner side portions of the rail heads being cutaway to provide registering recesses of a depth less than the width of said head portions, an inner joint plate provided with horizontal upper and lower edges contacting with the horizontal seats, a tread member carried by the joint plate and fitting in said recesses and spaced outwardly from the inner side of the joint plate to provide the joint plate with "a rail head supporting element alined with the upper edge of the joint plate, and an outer joint plate having inclined upper and lower edgescon'tacting with the in- 'cl ined seats."

3. A joint plate rovided with horizontal 'npper and lower e' ges, and a tread member extending upwardly from the uppere'dge of the joint plate at a point between the ends of the latter, the tread member beinglspaced oiittva rdly'from the inner side of t e joint plate to provide the latter with a rail head supporting element located inwardly of said cated above the lower edge of the joint plate and an inner wall spaced outwardly from the inner side of the joint plate, a tread member haw ii'i g its lower portion arranged inthe re- "cess and contacting with the walls thereof,

the tread member having its upper portion arranged in upwardly extended relation to the upper edge of the joint plate and spaced outwardly from the inner side of the joint plate, and means removably securing the tread member to the joint plate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WILLIAM A. EVERS. 

